Apparently, Iran's President Ahmed Raisi cancelled a long-planned interview with CNN's veteran journalist on Wednesday after she declined his demand. The cancellation of the scheduled interview comes at a time when Iran is seeing a nationwide protest over the death of a 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini, who reportedly died of a 'heart attack' hours after morality police arrested her for violating the country's mandatory rule for women to cover their head in public.
Amanpour in a series of tweets said that Raisi's aide made it clear that an interview would not happen if she did not wear a headscarf, as it was the months of Muharram and Safar and hence is "a matter of respect".
“I very politely declined on behalf of myself and CNN, and female journalists everywhere because it is not a requirement", Amanpour was quoted as saying by CNN.
She also shared a photo of her at the interview setup alone -- an image that resonated with social media users around the world. She wrote, The interview didn’t happen. As protests continue in Iran and people are being killed, it would have been an important moment to speak with President Raisi.
The statement received huge appreciation from Twitterati.
One said, Respect Christiane! There’s no better advocate for journalism out there.
This was a very important decision; had you capitulated, you would have bolstered the side of the regime (which is what Raisi was asking) and it would have been a slap in the face for the women in Iran fighting for their rights, said another
As a Muslim woman who doesn’t wear a hijab (because Islam doesn’t require women to wear one), thank you for standing up to this man
As a muslim woman who wears hijab (and also agrees it’s not required, and even if it were it should not be forced!), I also thank you Christiane for not capitulating to his demand. Women in Iran deserve better & they deserve allies among US women.
Amanpour, 64, who grew up in Tehran said she often wears a head scarf while reporting in Iran to comply with the country's laws but she could not cover her head to interview an Iranian official outside a country where there is no such compulsion.
